Roadless Areas

CWF Urges Sportsmen to Make Recommendations on Areas That Need to Remain Roadless

The Roadless Areas Review Task Force - a bipartisan 13-member group, created under Senate Bill 05-243 - will help determine the future of roadless areas in Colorado, including what uses, if any, will be allowed in the applicable forest areas. Based upon public comment, the task force will make recommendations to Governor Owens regarding how inventoried roadless areas should be managed. The Governor will then submit a petition to the United States Forest Service on behalf of the State of Colorado.

Senate Bill 05-243 defines applicable forest areas as "the approximately four million four hundred thousand acres of United States forest lands located in Colorado that were identified as roadless in a set of inventoried roadless area maps contained in the National Forest Service's roadless area conservation final Environmental Impact Statement, volume 2, dated November 2000, and held at the National Headquarters of the Forest Service." 

National forests will be discussed at their respective public participation meeting locations.

Durango (December 9, 2005): San Juan National Forest

Pueblo (January 6, 2006): Pike-San Isabel National Forests

Fort Collins (March 17, 2006): Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest

Steamboat Springs (May 18, 2006): Routt National Forest

Monte Vista (June 7, 2006): Rio Grande National Forest

Glenwood Springs (June 21, 2006): White River and Manti-La Sal National Forests

The public participation meeting in Denver on February 24, 2006 will be open for comment on any of these national forests.

Please note that public comments will be addressed and discussed by the Roadless Areas Review Task Force on the dates listed below for the following national forests:

February 10, 2006 Task Force Meeting: Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison, San Juan, and Pike-San Isabel National

Forests

April 14, 2006 Task Force Meeting: Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest

July 19, 2006 Task Force Meeting: Rio Grande, White River, Manti-La Sal, and Routt National Forests

Those wanting to submit comments are encouraged to do so before the task force meeting that corresponds with the forest of interest to that individual. Please note that task force meetings are open to the public.

To submit comments via U.S. mail, please send them to The Keystone Center, ATTN: Roadless Areas Review, 1628 Sts. John Road, Keystone, CO 80435.